Our family does not like to cram a million things into one day, even on a big trip like London with kids. We like to enjoy our time and not feel rushed. If you do too much in one day, you burn out, and what’s the point of burning out on vacation?
So for our three nights in London with kids before our cruise to Spain, Portugal, and France, we kept it simple: one big thing a day. Our girls are 8 and 11, and we stayed at the London Marriott Hotel County Hall. This is what we did, day by day.
Day 1 in London With Kids: Jet Lag, a Nap, and Tea for Dinner
We got to our hotel in the middle of the day, and we were all a mess. Between the jet lag, the time difference, and not sleeping well on the flight, the only thing that made sense was a long nap. We got up, showered, and changed. Nobody was very hungry and nobody had much energy, so we decided it was the perfect time for an easy tea. We did tea for dinner that first night, and it was great.
Mad Hatter’s Afternoon Tea at the Sanderson London
We booked the Mad Hatter’s Afternoon Tea at the Sanderson London for 6:00 PM. This was perfect for a jet-lagged first night because it isn’t an ultra-fancy tea where you have to get all dressed up. It’s a relaxed tea at a nice hotel, served in their courtyard overlooking a peaceful waterfall. There were only about two other tables filled. People don’t really do tea for dinner, so it worked well for us.
Everything is Alice in Wonderland themed. We ordered two Mad Hatter’s Afternoon Teas for the adults at £75 each and two Little Hatter’s Afternoon Teas for the girls at £45 each.
The Teas, the Food, and the Little Touches
The Sanderson makes its own Alice in Wonderland tea blends that you won’t find anywhere else. I tried all five: a China black tea, a green tea, a red rose Congou, a China white silver tea, and a marmalade orange oolong. My favorite was the Alice. The girls don’t like tea, so they were offered a cold chocolate or a hot chocolate. Charlotte ordered the cold chocolate and didn’t like it at all, so both girls ended up with hot chocolate.
For the adults, they served four kinds of sandwiches, scones, and five different pastries. Sandwiches and scones are unlimited, but they give you so much food that we didn’t need more. The girls got ham, cheese, and butter sandwiches, a grilled vegetable and cream cheese sandwich, and peanut butter and jelly, plus four pastries of their own. Our server told them they could order as many sandwiches as they wanted, which was sweet.
The little touches make it so much fun. To start, the server opens the tea with a drink that changes color when he adds lemon juice. The sugar cubes come in cute music boxes, and the fine china and pastries are all Alice in Wonderland themed.
If you’re planning a tea in London with kids, make a reservation ahead of time in case it’s booked. But honestly, at 6:00 PM there was almost no one there.
Day 2: The British Museum and Dinner at Aqua Shard
On our second day we went to the British Museum, and it was super cool. It’s free. We booked our tickets online the day before, so we didn’t have to stand in a long line.
We saw mummies, the Rosetta Stone, and so many fascinating things from history that I couldn’t believe it. The girls were very into the mummies. My husband was amazed by the Rosetta Stone. We spent a good two hours walking around. We definitely could have stayed longer, but we aren’t big museum people and the kids don’t have a long attention span for that stuff, so two hours was the right amount of time for us.
Just so you know, the British Museum has no air conditioning, and it’s packed. In summer it’s hot, humid, and can be a little stinky. I brought a small handheld fan, and it was a lifesaver. It’s the one thing I’d tell anyone to pack for London with kids in the summer. My two daughters and I fought over it for the entire trip.
After the museum we went back to the hotel, showered, and went out for a nice dinner at Aqua Shard. It’s inside The Shard, a beautiful building where you can see the whole city of London.
Day 3: Buckingham Palace, Indigo, and Mamma Mia!
On our third day we went to Buckingham Palace, and I’ll be honest, I was annoyed at this tour. We did the most basic option, the State Rooms and Garden tour. Adult tickets were about £43.20 and kids were about £21.50. We bought our tickets online about a day in advance so we didn’t have to wait in a long ticket line, which is the last thing you want to do in London with kids.
Again, there was no air conditioning, and I know they have it in Buckingham Palace. It was packed. The tour is self-guided with a headset and a prerecorded guide. It was nice, and we were happy to see it once, but I don’t feel the need to go back. We spent a couple of hours there.
My favorite part was the gardens. They were beautiful and so peaceful, something you just don’t see in Los Angeles.
We didn’t get to see the Changing of the Guard, and my girls were totally fine with that. They saw the guards in front of the palace, and honestly, that was enough for them. If we’re in the right place at the right time on a future trip, we’ll watch it, but we won’t go out of our way.
We left ourselves enough time to go back to the hotel and shower before dinner at Indigo at One Aldwych. We picked Indigo because it’s super close to the theater we were going to after dinner.
Mamma Mia! at the Novello Theatre
The girls really wanted to see Mamma Mia!, so we got tickets at the Novello Theatre in the West End. We bought them months in advance because we wanted good seats. It’s a small theater, so you can probably see fine from anywhere, but we sat center and close, so the girls had no trouble seeing the stage.
The performance was nice. It wasn’t amazing. The set is super simple and so are the costumes. We had seen The Phantom of the Opera at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre in LA a few weeks before, so there was no comparison for me. The girls really, really liked it, though. I thought it was just OK.
What I did love was walking around the West End. Seeing theater after theater after theater is so cool and really unique.
Day 4: Off to Our Cruise
The next morning we were off to Southampton to board our cruise ship. I cover exactly how we got there, and what it cost, in our London transportation post.
What We Skipped in London With Kids, and Why
We didn’t do the London Eye. It was super expensive for about a 30-minute ride. It would have cost us £29 for each adult and £26 for each kid, so £110 for our family.
My recommendation is to skip the London Eye and have dinner at The Shard instead. You get to sit, take your time, and enjoy a nice meal while you look out over the entire city. I think that’s the better deal.
The one thing I feel like we missed out on was riding a double-decker bus. Between Uber, black cabs, the Tube, and walking, we never really needed one or had the chance. Next time.
What Our Activities in London With Kids Cost
| Activity | Price | Our family of four |
|---|---|---|
| Mad Hatter’s Afternoon Tea, 2 adults | £75 each | £150 |
| Little Hatter’s Afternoon Tea, 2 kids | £45 each | £90 |
| British Museum | Free | £0 |
| Buckingham Palace State Rooms and Garden, 2 adults | About £43.20 each | About £86.40 |
| Buckingham Palace State Rooms and Garden, 2 kids | About £21.50 each | About £43 |
| London Eye (we skipped it) | £29 per adult, £26 per kid | Would have been £110 |
Why One Big Thing a Day Works for London With Kids
We did one major thing a day, and it was enough. It was so nice not to burn ourselves out, and we still had energy for a nice dinner every night.
I don’t feel the need to go back to Buckingham Palace or the British Museum, or to see Mamma Mia! again. When we go back to London, I’ll pick a different museum, a different palace, and a different show. And we’ll ride that double-decker bus.
More From Our Europe Trip
This post is part of our series on our summer trip to London and our Celebrity Apex cruise to Spain, Portugal, and France.
London With Kids
- Virgin Atlantic Review: Flying LAX to London With Kids
- London Marriott County Hall Review: A Family Stay by Big Ben
- London With Kids: One Big Thing a Day (Our Easy Itinerary)
- Getting Around London With Kids: The Best Ways, Honestly
- Dining in London With Kids: Our Honest Reviews of 4 Spots
Our Celebrity Apex Cruise
- The Retreat on Celebrity Apex With Kids: Was It Worth It?
- Lisbon Tuk Tuk Tour From a Cruise Ship: Fun, Hot, and Worth It With Kids
- Porto Cruise Port Without an Excursion: Hot Dogs, Vinho Verde, and Shopping With Kids
- Vigo and La Coruña Cruise Ports With Kids: A Walking Tour, Galician Food, and Gelato
- Bilbao Shore Excursion With Kids: The Guggenheim, the Market, and the Pintxos We Missed
- Southampton to Heathrow via Stonehenge: Our Cruise Excursion With Kids
- Le Havre to Paris on a Cruise With Kids: Is the Long Day Worth It?
Planning a cruise? These are already on the blog:
